Admissions
by Trixie-chan
Summary: VashMeryl - Takes place after Vash returns. There's a little party at the bar, where Meryl decides to drown her pain of fear in booze. Vash has to take her home... ONE SHOT


**Admissions**

**Author:** Trixie-chan

**Genre:** Romance/Humor

**Rating:** PG-13

**Disclaimer:** No, I don't own Trigun.... But dammit, why can't I own Vash? I love him so hard! XD

**Author's Notes:** Weee! My very first Trigun fic! I know, overly used topic... Well, I hope it's ok. Please read and review, people! Trigun rules and Vash is sexy! XD Hope you all like it.

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The bright, cheery atmosphere that filled the bar had seeped into everyone in it—even if they had no idea what the party was for. The celebration was for the return of Vash from his fight with his brother. Knives was resting and recovering back at Meryl and Millie's house while the group was at the bar.

Meryl was sitting calmly at the bar, a drink next to her that she hadn't yet tasted. For the moment, she was content in watching Vash and Millie dance and laugh with the rest of the drunken crowd in the bar. Of course, Millie was nearly completely smashed already (as was to be expected), but Vash was surprisingly sober. Or at least as sober as could be considered abnormal when he was in the presence of alcohol.

Meryl smiled warmly at all of the happy people and lightly brought her hand to the glass of beer. She faltered for a second—she never drank; she found the habit intolerable—then picked it up anyway. She tentatively brought the glass to her lips and paused. Why was she drinking in the first place? _To celebrate Vash's safe return, that's why_, she thought, but she knew that wasn't the entire reason. She was also drinking to relieve the pain of knowing that she could never tell Vash how she really felt. She had promised herself after he left that when he returned, she would tell him everything. But that plan faded the second she saw his wobbly, careworn shadow drift its way into town. She loved him, but there was no way she could actually tell him that—she was too afraid of his reaction.

_He doesn't feel that way about me_, she told herself. _How could he? I just badger him every chance I get!_ She lowered her head slightly in shame, then tilted it back and downed the contents of her glass. She set the glass back down on the table and turned her head away. Beer was not necessarily the tastiest drink in the world.

She had often wondered why people even drank beer—it smelt horrible and, so she had just learned, it tasted horrible too. But that feeling it gave her... that slight feeling of euphoria and her troubles melting away. But considering her sadness, it wasn't enough.

"Bartender!" she called. "Another beer."

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The group of people were screaming, "Chug! Chug! Chug!" to Millie as Vash wandered away from them. It was her fifth time of being encouraged to do that, and the fifth time she's actually done it. He noticed Meryl sitting hunched over at the bar with half-full glass in her hand.

_Wow_, he thought, _she's drinking? Even if it's only half a glass, that's still more than I've ever seen her drink._ Little did he know that she had drunk a lot more than just half a glass.

He sad down next to her and smiled, his slight buzz adding even more to his normally cheery mood. "Hey, Meryl. Why're ya drinkin'?" She slowly turned her face towards him. Her eyes were half-lidded and her mouth hung open slightly. She looked completely drunk. "Whoa! How'd you get that drunk off of half a glass??" Vash gawked.

Meryl let out slurred laugh (which he didn't think was possible) as her head fell lightly on the table. "Beer is nashty...." she murmured, turning her face onto the table and saying something else that was undecipherable. The bartender walked to them, noticing that Vash sat down, and brought him a beer.

"Excuse me," Vash said, lightly touching the bartender's arm to get his attention after he set down the drink, "exactly how many beers did she have?" The bartender huffed.

"Hey, I don't keep track of how many beers each of these guys had. You're lucky that I remember a general number—if only because I've never seen her drink before and it struck me as odd. But I'd say... about eight? She's a lightweight," he finished, walking off to tend to one of the other men screaming for a whiskey.

Vash looked at her, awestruck as he watched her mumble and roll her head around on the table, raising it a little every once in a while to tip in another sip of beer. _Yeah, she's a lightweight for someone of her size, along with the fact that she doesn't drink._

The party was winding down and people were starting to either leave or pass out. "Hey Vaaaaash!" he heard Millie calling from the entrance. "I'mma go home. I'm tiiiiired.... Night Vashy-Vash, and welcome back!!" she screamed a little too loudly, as some of the drunks covered up their ears and scrunched their faces up. Vash smiled warily and waved to her as she stumbled out of the bar before turning his attention back to Meryl.

"Meryl? I think I should take you back to your room," Vash said quietly, touching her lightly on the shoulder.

"Mmmmm... Shleep...." she muttered, slowly leaning her shoulders towards Vash and finally slumping over onto him. He looked down at her and smiled. She really was something when she was drunk—a lot less angry is what that difference was.

"Okay, let's go," he said soothingly as he lifted her up and set her on her feet, making sure to remove the glass she had clasped in her hand. She was mumbling random things that he couldn't make out as he led her slowly, stumbling out of the bar. _It's a good thing I decided not to drink much tonight..._

He practically dragged her down the street toward her house, with her muttering incoherent sentences all the while, if you could call them that. Surprisingly though, some of her sentences were full, slightly understandable ones, but they were no less frightening to Vash, as he had never expected anything of that nature to be coming from her.

"Ya know... I've never told you this... but you are the nicest guy... I've ever known..." she slurred, leaning against him heavily and trying to keep her balance as her feet went in the complete opposite direction as the rest of her was trying to go. Vash was shocked. This wasn't like her! She'd never said anything like this before! It was only 'You're irresponsible' or 'trouble always follow you' or 'where did that tie on your head come from? You look like an idiot,' never anything complementary.

"Well uh... thank you, Meryl. I think you're nice, too," he responded hesitantly. He wasn't exactly sure how to respond to that...

"Oh that's bullshit and you know it!" she cried, flinging an arm randomly in the air and tripping over her own feet. Vash caught her quickly and kept her moving. "I'm always yelling at you... and stuff... I'm just... I hate myself when I'm around you, because I'm just... a bitch!" Vash was shocked yet again; he never heard her swear before. So this is what alcohol does to her... no wonder she never drinks. "But you're not as bad as I always say you are... I really don't hate you, ya know. You're... you're such a great guy.........."

Her voice drifted off. She was completely silent for the rest of the walk, but her mind wasn't. _What am I saying? This is why I should never drink... I can barely think straight, let alone talk right... I shouldn't be telling him these things but... I want to..._ Soon her mind drifted off as well.

When they finally arrived at the house, Vash was very nearly carrying her in. He brought her up to her room and set her on her bed gently, caught off guard by her moan of protest when he let her go. He turned to leave the room, but was stopped by her hand grabbing his arm.

"Don't go..." she whispered, a look of desperation and loneliness in her eyes. "Stay... please?" He looked at the door, and then back at her before a smile spread across his face.

"Sure, I'll stay," he replied softly. He sat down on the bed and took off his boots and jacket. He turned around and glanced at her, noticing that she had taken off her cloak. He lay down next to her on his back and stared up at the ceiling, not really sure what she expected him to do.

Soon he felt her hand come across his face, touch his cheek and turn his face to her. "Thank you..." she said quietly, looking deeply into his eyes. "I..." she started, her eyes slowly closing, "I... love you..." With that, she drifted off to sleep, not seeing the look of bewilderment on Vash's face. She seemed completely oblivious to what she just blurted out as she sighed blissfully and cuddled up to him, tucking her head under her chin. Despite his surprise, he smiled down at the top of her head and brought his hand up to her hair to stroke it lightly.

_Really? I must admit it's hard to believe, what with her constant anger toward me... I thought I annoyed her... I guess I was wrong..._ He fell asleep, still stroking her hair and clutching her close to him.

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_Oh my god... my head..._ Meryl was lying on her side, her face buried in the pillow, trying to muffle the pain. She brought her hand to her forehead, cringing as it throbbed in her grasp. That was when she noticed a light weight on her side. She opened her eyes to see an arm lying straight out in front of her. She had an arm under her neck, and it obviously wasn't hers. She turned her head to look at her side to see another, prosthetic arm draped over her. This was also when she noticed a pressure on the back of her neck.

_Oh god... I'm spooning with Vash..._ she thought, beginning to feel faint on top of the extreme headache. _How did this happen? What happened last night?_ At that thought she began to panic, shifting in her spot. _What did we do last night??_ With the movement, Vash began to stir as well, lightly moving his head against her neck. She shivered as she felt his breath, hot on the back of her neck. _Oh god... I was drunk... If we did... anything... then it meant nothing..._ she thought, her mind playing out the outcomes.

"Meryl...?" Vash mumbled, groggy. He tightened his arm around her waist and brought his chin onto her shoulder.

"V-Vash?" she stuttered, moving away from him quickly. She sat up and turned to face him. "What.... what's going on?" She was beginning to panic.

Vash noticed her panic and sat up, too. He smiled at her. "I'm just responding to your statement last night," he replied, leaning in.

Meryl's hand was spinning. What was he doing? What did she say last night? What was going—

Her mind went blank as his lips brushed lightly against hers. She couldn't move. She was too shocked. However, she was easily knocked out of her shock when she felt his hand come up to touch her cheek lightly, and she responded by kissing him back lightly.

She let out a sigh of dejection when he pulled away. "I love you," he said, looking deeply into Meryl's eyes.

"I... I love you, too..." she mumbled, stunned. Vash only chuckled.

"I already know that."

"But... but how?"

"You let that slide last night," Vash said, smiling. Meryl's face turned beat red and she looked down at the bed, completely embarrassed. "I see now why you don't drink."

"And I never will again," she mumbled, contempt filling her voice. Vash brought his hand up to her chin and brought her face up to look at him.

"It's not like it didn't do any good," he commented, leaning in a kissing her again. Meryl kissed back immediately, moving her arms around his neck and deepening the kiss. He brought his arms around her waist and pulled her tight to him, making her squeal and giggle against his mouth as he leaned her down on the bed.

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So... tell me what you think! My first Trigun fic is finished! :) I love me some Trigun. ;D I hope to get some reviews on it, and I hope that you all think it's decent at least. :P Constructive criticism is accepted and welcome. :) Flamers without reason will be hunted down and slaughtered. Review!

- Trixie-chan__


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